Last pages of sketchbook (lucky) #13

Here are the last few pages of sketchbook #13. I started this book on 8-16-15 and wrapped it up on 11-8-15. Not a bad run for a 64 page book! 

If you had seen the last post I sketched some dishes drying with some minimal tools--pentel brush pen, brush pen with some grayed out black ink. It was fun to think with minimal distractions, and I had to concentrate on translating the view I was looking at with only a few marks. That weekend I was in a coffee shop and they had a pile of dirty dishes and I used the same tools and got to work. The best part was that they kept on adding on to the pile and I kept on sketching! I could have been there for weeks if I wanted to! 

I got tired of doing the dishes, so I moved onto some folks sitting starring at their laptops or phones. I tried out some new "Graphtone" water-soluble colored pencils from Derwent.























My last page of sketchbook #13 was a very quick attempt at capturing a cool sunset on some buildings in town. Once I got the outline done the sun had set and I had to paint like Superman trying to reverse the earth's rotation. I cheated and added some details at home where there was light and warmth. 

Apples and sketching!

Our local meetup group got together at the Apple Farm for a nice afternoon of sketching and eating apples and doughnuts. 

[namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

51 seniors in the MTL

What more could you ask for? 12 hours on a bus, 51 seniors, bad food, gorgeous sunshine, crisp fall air, stiff hotel beds, three 1st place finishes in Laser Tag, 7-3 victory in air hockey? 

I was asked to chaperone the senior trip to Montreal in Quebec, Canada this past weekend. We had some free time here and there so I attempted to get some sketches in when I could. Some were rushed due to time constraints, or schedules. Most were finished on site, maybe some details added here or there when I had a moment. 

[namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, Lamy Safari M-nib with DeArtementis Document ink, Lamy Safari EF-nib with Noodler's Lexington Gray, with D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

a small church in downtown MTL

a collection of animals from the BIODOME

a collection of sketches from our tour of MTL

a pirate dinner party! 

some folks from the amusement park: La Ronde

Brrrrrrr sketching

As a meetup group we headed out to the Public Market for some good old fashioned chilly sketching. This, by far, was the coldest day we've had this fall, and we picked an outside venue! 

We wandered around from place to place sketching chickens, coffee shops, and people milling about. At one point Genine got chatting with the owner of Juan and Maria's Empanada Stop food stall. She was sketching his stall and got chatting about creativity. He uses food and sauces for his outlet, we use pen and watercolors! At one point he handed us free empanadas so we could try his sauce! We munched away and I sketched the sauces to remember the moment! It was really cool! Only when sketching will you meet people that way!!

Java's front porch

Genine and Juan!

Me and Juan!

[namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

Lamberton

The Lamberton Conservatory is a hidden gem in the city of Rochester. For $3 you get to explore room after room of plants and animals. 
My girlfriend wanted to take some photos of flowers and I wanted to sketch so this place was a perfect fit! I parked it on a bench for a while and watched the turtles fight over rocks, the mini-Quails fight over the seed and weird people talking about things you shouldn't talk about in public! 

[namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

Apples and oil paints

My lovely girlfriend and I got up way too early on a Sunday and headed out to the Apple Farm for an "art date"--she takes pictures, I paint. The day was wildly beautiful, sun and clouds and a crisp fall air blowing in from the wrong direction. I hiked it way out to the far corner of the property trying to find something to paint. It wasn't for a lack of scenery, it was the opposite--TOO MUCH SCENERY! I started one painting and about 45 minutes in I was not happy with the design so I wiped it all down and moved to start something different. The results were much better! 

All the while I was visited by some nut-hatches, a cardinal, a disc-golfer, and a family of turkeys. 

Oh, and the best part about painting at an apple farm? No need to bring snacks! They grow on trees! 

(Thanks Bejan)

first attempt

better attempt!

sketching seems to help with my design

Rockin' coffee shop meetup

We had a meet up a local coffee shop that hosts an open mic night every wednesday. Let's just say the acts were "interesting". They ranged from Ukrainian death metal, to biker rock ballad to whimsical 2 piece bands with a violin. I will post some videos of the action below. 

But now for the art. It was VERY poorly lit and I couldn't see ANY colors I was laying down. I went for value as best as I could and guessed at color. I was getting frustrated, but when I saw the sketches in the parking lot light, they didn't look too bad! 

[Sailor bent nib with J. Herbin pearl noire ink, Hero 1077 bent nib with J. Herbin olive ink, namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

Meetin' and Creepin'

The first few days of school are chock full of meetings and more meetings. I cannot sit there and pay attention without doing something. Doodling got me through HS Chemistry and sketching during my meetings gets me though my adult life. 

[Uni Pin pens, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

Zoo time!

Things I learned while sketching at the Seneca Park Zoo:

1. Rhino farts are loud. Really, really loud.
2. Animals, not even sloths, sit still for very long.
3. Elephant roars, grumbles, whatever you want to call them, are terrifying.
4. People in public places think they are the only humans in existence at that very moment.
5. Lions like presents that contain goat heads and cow legs.
6. Lions are terrifying.
7. Orangutan's are eerily similar to humans.
8. I know how to spell Orangutan now.
9. For 12$ the zoo is a great sketching haven
10. Kids are way more interested in what I am sketching than adults. 

[pentel brush pen, Lamy Safari M-nib with Deartamentis ink, uni pin pens, pitt gray brush pens, W+N watercolor markers, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]--basically whatever my front pockets could carry. 

Boulder Coffee Meetup

Last week we met you at Boulder Coffee to sketch a musician. Turns out the musician cancelled and a DJ spinning some tunes took his place. Regardless we had a great turn out and had a god time sketching with some other art-geeks! 

1--[pentel Graph Gear 1000 pencil w/HB lead, in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

2, 3--[namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

4--[uni pin 0.2 pen, PITT warm gray markers, a gigantic PITT white marker in a toned gray Strathmore sketchbook]